Friends of the Zeiss
Telephone:
412-561-7876
Electronic Mail: <
friendsofthezeiss@planetarium.cc
>
Internet Web Site:
< http://www.friendsofthezeiss.org
>
2004 October 12
Bill Peduto, Chairman
Committee on General
Services, Technology and the Arts
Council of the City of
Re: City-Owned Buhl
Planetarium Equipment and Artifacts
Dear Mr. Peduto:
First, I want to, again,
thank you, and your aide Missy, for the timely response to my inquiry of
September 20, regarding the status and condition of three of the major pieces
of historic equipment and artifacts of the original Buhl Planetarium and
I am glad to learn that these
historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts were not affected by the most
recent flooding and are in good condition and being stored approximately six
feet [about one-half building floor] above the 100-year flood plain. However, I
am not sure this would have been enough to escape flooding during the 1972 June
flood caused by the remnants of Hurricane Agnes. And, "100-year" floods
seem to be coming more often these days!
Again, I note that there was
no comment, by The Carnegie Science Center, regarding the list of other City-owned artifacts I provided
[this list is
attached], which The Carnegie
Science Center moved to their new building, or
to the warehouse, in 1991 or 1994.
The artifacts moved in 1991
or 1994, on this list, were all in the Buhl Planetarium building on the day of
dedication: 1939 October 24. On this day, the Buhl Foundation conveyed and
donated the Buhl Planetarium building, and all contents in the building, to the
City of
This list includes five
classic Astronomy “push-button” exhibits, of the 18 such exhibits eventually
displayed in Buhl Planetarium’s Hall of the Universe. It also includes a
medium-sized Van de Graaff Electrostatic Generator, four Toledo Planetary
Weight Scales, as well as Planetarium and Lecture Hall Sound Equipment.
The list also includes eleven paintings that have not been
seen by the public since 1991! These include The Old Astronomer by Daniel Owen Stephens, which has been
published in Astronomy textbooks and in a 1961 filmstrip for schools. The list
also includes Copernicus, a portrait
of the Polish Astronomer donated by the Polish Arts League of Pittsburgh.
The paintings also include
two portraits of Henry Buhl, Jr. and one portrait of his wife, Louise. While
the one portrait of Mr. Buhl hung in the second-floor Library, the other two
portraits hung in the first floor’s Great Hall, for everyone to see. These
eleven paintings were on display from the day the building opened [1939 October
24] until the day the building closed as a public museum [1991 August 31].
These paintings have never been displayed to the public at The Carnegie Science
Center.
Bill Peduto 2004
October 12 Page
2 of 2
Three items on this list are
accounted-for, and have been displayed/used at The Carnegie Science Center for
several years: 4-inch Zeiss Terrestrial Refractor Telescope, Fairbanks-Morse
Planetary Weight Scale, and the large 746- pound Meteorite, the fifth largest
meteorite remnant from Arizona’s Meteor Crater [although two smaller meteorites,
also City property, have not been displayed and should be in storage].
Although not included in the
2002 Memoranda of Understanding between the City and The Carnegie Science
Center, these artifacts are City property and should be accounted-for.
Certainly, the eleven paintings would have a definite financial value.
So, with this letter, I am
asking that you make another inquiry, with The Carnegie Science Center,
regarding the location and condition of these additional City-owned Buhl
Planetarium artifacts.
Sincerely yours,
Glenn A. Walsh\
Project Director
gaw
Copy: Members of the Council of the City of
Tom Murphy, Mayor, City of
Tom Flaherty, City Controller, City of
Dale A. Perrett, Director, City of
Members of the Board of Directors, Allegheny Regional
Asset District
David Donahoe, Executive Director, Allegheny Regional
Asset District
Members of the Allegheny
Members of Friends
of the Zeiss
News Media Representatives
Interested Members of the General Public